SARS-CoV-2 stay in the Air for 16 hours

A scientific brief from the WHO has announced that SARS-COV-2 can be transmitted airborne under certain conditions.

Airborne transmission of the virus can occur in health care settings where specific medical procedures, called aerosol generating procedures, generate very small droplets called aerosols. Some outbreak reports related to indoor crowded spaces have suggested the possibility of aerosol transmission, combined with droplet transmission, for example, during choir practice, in restaurants or in fitness classes.

Here is a report about the stability of different coronaviruses in the air. It was released on April 18 and can be seen on medRxiv and on a CDC webpage.

The coronaviruses studied were MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2.

MERS-CoV caused the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome in 2012. SARS-CoV is responsible for the Severe Respiratory Syndrome in 2002, and SARS-CoV-2 is currently producing the rampaging Covid-19 pandemic.

The study was done in 4 Aerobiology laboratories, namely:

1. The Tulane University,
2. National Institutes of Health Integrated Research Facility (NIH-IRF)
3. The United States Army Medical Institute for Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID)
4. The University of Pittsburgh 

Method:

Aerosols with MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 were generated in separate chambers. The temperature was 23±2°C and 53±11% humidity inside the aerosol chambers.

The appearance of the viruses was examined under an electron microscope during the time interval studied. (10 and 30 minutes and 2, 4, and 16 hours) to know if physical changes happened during aerosolization.

Animals were exposed at the same periods to the viruses in the aero chambers to determine the infectivity of the suspended viruses.  

Findings:

1. The SAR-CoV-2 was detected in a stable and infectious condition for as long as 16 hours. The number of SARS-CoV-2 stayed the same.
2. The SARS-CoV-2 is on par and exceeds SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV in its aerosol stability.

The Authors’ Conclusion

Aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2, whether through direct respiratory droplet transfer or fomite generation, may in fact be a more important exposure transmission pathway than previously considered.

A previous article showed how viruses can be expelled from the mouth with regular talking. As the Covid-19 germs become airborne, they can be carried by the air from a fan or an air conditioner to go further.

During illness, aerosol production is also increased.

Take-Away Message:

Airborne Covid-19 viruses can still be floating around in premises where a previous Covid-19 positive person has been.

Masks wearing can decrease the chance of getting infected with airborne viruses.

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